new year's resolutions 2012

I just spent the last few hours being totally selfish and thinking about me, me, me... and my New Year's Resolutions.

At first I was dubious about whether or not I could even set goals for myself this year. I have spring semester, a summer abroad, and then I'll be moving in with my boyfriend in the fall, so it's hard to project goals that will be possible or even probable.

After considering it a little, I decided that it was important to set goals, even if they might have to be adjusted in the future. Not surprisingly, a lot of my goals have to do with health and fitness. I thought about making more general "mental health" type goals, but let's be real- when I'm keeping up with a healthy lifestyle, I am feeling my best.

So here they are... 

My 2012 New Year's Resolutions!

	1. Run at least two races longer than 5K. I realized after the MMRF Race was done that my runs were getting shorter and slower, and that I was having knee pain more often when running, so, while setting goals, I signed up for the St. Patty's Day 5K! Having a particular race in mind will help me train and I'm excited already!
	2. Practice Yoga at least once a week. I'm so glad I discovered yoga and Yoga District, a yoga studio that makes yoga accessible to everyone with several branches in DC. I have really enjoyed practicing there and I credit Yoga District with keeping me sane during finals. I'm looking forward to deepening my practice and pushing myself further in 2012, hopefully getting there more than once a week when possible!
	3. Buy more produce directly from farmers! I love farmer's markets, but even though I have one a few blocks away from me, I rarely make it there. I want to try to get to there more often, eat more fresh produce as a consequence, and support local farmers!
	4. Plan dinners every Sunday. I didn't cook as much as I expected to during my first few months of living on my own. I hope that keeping more fresh produce around and planning my meals will encourage me to cook more interesting and more healthy meals each week.
	5. Try quinoa! I can't believe I haven't yet.
	6. Take active rest days.  I want to go for a walk, stretch for 20-30 minutes, or otherwise enjoy my rest days with light physical activity that keeps me from feeling totally sedentary.
	7. Take a break from carbs one day per week. My boyfriend pointed out that this is more of an experiment than a goal, but it's a goal I'd like to reach! I feel that carbs are generally the more processed foods I eat, and I often rely on them to feel full. By cutting them out of my diet one day per week, hopefully I will learn how to fill myself up with fruits, veggies, dairy, and meat!
	8. Track my finances more thoroughly by updating my Mint account every Saturday. I've been doing really well with my finances, but I'd like to be even more aware and accurate with my accounting, so I'm going to check in every Saturday morning.
	9. Try biking to campus and work. I realize that this isn't really a goal, but I would like to work toward biking around the city more often. I'm sick of relying on WMATA. Too many instances of waiting out in the cold for a bus that never came.
	10. Try at least one new recipe per month! This goes along with the attempts to cook more.
	11. Approach every interaction and experience with positivity and respect. One of my yoga teachers said something like "think of how beautiful it would be if you went through every action in your day as if it were an offering." This is my version of that, hopefully making my life less stressful and more positive in general, starting from within myself!
	12. Check in every month with these goals on my blog! It will keep me on track with my resolutions and remind me that, um, this thing exists :)

Have wonderful, prosperous, successful, and happy new years! Thanks for 2011, the year when I discovered all of you!

Holi-daze

Apologies that I have fallen off the face of the blogosphere in the past five weeks or so. I wrote about 90 pages in that period of time, and then dove into our big Polish Christmas Eve celebration. I finished reading The Hunger Games and now I'm catching up on blogs and TV!

My holidays were as stress free as they could be, thank goodness. I enjoyed a lot of time with the boy (and his dog-cousin, Dharma)-

Before I came home to New Jersey, we also got to see the National Christmas Tree in DC. At first I was really confused and disappointed at how small it was, but then we read that the old tree had been blown down; I'm just happy they're using a live tree! It was still a nice night to get us into the Christmas spirit!-

And now, after countless pierogi, cookies, and slices of cheesecake, I'm trying to get back on the wagon with fitness and blogging. I can't promise that I will be able to keep up the blogging when the semester starts back up- I started a part-time internship before the semester ended, and along with my coursework, it's hard to keep writing AND healthy living up at the same time. But I'm going to try my darndest!

Trying my darndest will start with this week- I have posts detailing my review of my first free sample for the blog (of Crystal Light Pure), my continued yoga journey, and my thoughts on the new Self  Jump Start workout by Jillian Michaels. And of course, New Year's Resolutions!

Enjoy your holiday break if you have the luxury to do so! I will be back later this week with a post on staying hydrated through the winter season. Tomorrow I get to see Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan with my nephew and mom... and I have a special connection to Peter Pan... ;)